Edible South Shore and South Coast extends magazine's reach

Wednesday

Stories about locally grown food produced on the South Shore and the South Coast are featured together in one package with the newly expanded "edible South Shore & South Coast" magazine.

Stories about locally grown food produced on the South Shore and the South Coast are featured together in one package with the newly expanded "edible South Shore & South Coast" magazine.

Kingston-based publishers Laurie Hepworth and Michael Hart view the South Coast as a growing agricultural center of activity with an influx of young farmers coming onto the food scene. They have been part of the South Shore farming community in the role of magazine publishers for five years.

The abundance of local foods in both regions is celebrated by Hepworth and Hart in the quarterly magazine considered a resource for anyone interested in local food growers, producers and retailers and ways to live more sustainably.

In their fifth year, they are realizing their goal of expanding the magazine further into the South Coast. They have always featured at least one story from the South Coast but will do more to promote local food from the region.

"There are so many stories we're excited we're in a position to start sharing," Hepworth said. "We want them to feel it's their magazine, too."

The couple joke that they are "the foodie and the beauty." Also the editor, Hepworth loves to cook and has a passion for food. The creative director, Hart loves being a photographer, graphic designer and artist.

Hepworth was visiting Tucson, Ariz., when she first saw an edible Communities Inc. publication, edible Phoenix, and returned home excited to tell Hart about it. It didn't take long to convince Hart, after connecting with the publishers of edible Cape Cod, that joining the edible Communities network was the perfect match for them.

With edible South Shore serving both Plymouth and Bristol counties, it filled the gap that existed between Boston and Cape Cod. They jumped right into it and published their first issue in October 2008. While a part of edible Communities, no two edible magazines are the same.

"We've maintained our autonomy because we are hyper local," Hart said. "That's the way we work."

While they are both from the South Shore, its secrets are still being revealed to them. They look forward to the secrets the South Coast has to share and to doing more to educate others on what's out there. He wants to fully explore both counties in print.

"To be represented in each town in the two counties, that would be my ideal, and to see that flourish," he said.

Hepworth said discoveries can be made everywhere from backyards to basements with the variety of approaches to food that exist. They have often turned to each other in the past five years and said, who knew. They want to celebrate all kinds of farmers. They want to help spread the word about farmers who just want to farm.

"If we can give them a voice, that's really important to us," she said.

With stories planned out a year in advance, Hart and Hepworth already know what stories will appear in the magazine through next spring. That doesn't mean readers don't have access to new information, however.

While the magazine is published quarterly, their bi-weekly newsletter, Tidings, contains new information, and their blog, ediblesouthshore.wordpress.com, helps get the word out about the local food scene. Each issue of the magazine is archived and available online at www.ediblesouthshore.com.

Since January 2010 edible South Shore and South Coast has collaborated with the Kingston Public Library to present the South Shore Locavores series focusing on local food. These gatherings are held at the Beal House in Kingston the third Thursday each month. They hope to tie in to something similar on the South Coast.

Advertisers and subscribers are vital to the magazine's growth. It's available for free through its advertisers and at events Hepworth and Hart participate in and is available by subscription. They are approaching expansion by first increasing the number of copies they publish to 20,000 and eventually plan to add more pages with more stories.

So far the magazine has been well received on the South Coast, Hart said. It helps that they have hired two new account managers, Sarah Cogswell and Kate Levin, who know the people and the area and have the experience and the energy to solidify their position on the South Coast. Their food editor and close friend Paula Marcoux continues to be invaluable.

To reach Hart and Hepworth at Hart Design, email Laurie@edibleSouthShore.com or call 781-582-1726.

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